The lilac underpants were among a collection of items that belonged to Adolf Hitler's wife sold at the auction.

A pair of lilac knickers once owned by Adolf Hitler's wife Eva Braun have sold at an auction for nearly £3,000 ($3,750).

The knickers were part of a collection of items that belonged to the Nazi dictator's wife sold at an auction in Malvern, Worcestershire. They featured a lace and ribbon trace and were embroidered with Braun's initials.

They were expected to fetch around £400, but were eventually sold for £2,900.

Other items sold included a silver holder containing Braun's bright red lipstick, a silver mirrored box, and a gold ring. They were sold to a UK-based private collector.

The lipstick and holder sold for £400 and her gold ring set with an opal surrounded by six rubies for £1,500.

The items were found by an American soldier in an abandoned bunker in the Platterhof Hotel next to Hitler's Berghof home in the Bavarian Alps. He took them with him back to the US as a memento.

They have changed hands twice before the auction.

Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler both committed suicide in an underground bunker in 1945WikiComms

Auctioneer Sophie Jones, of Philip Serrell Auctions, said: "All of these items belonged to a British collector who had them for many years. The undergarments have signs of use but there are no holes and are very clean. They are a very pale lilac and have faded with age."